a midseptember night's dream

anyone's guess stepped out to the presidio earlier this evening to take in the san francisco shakespeare festival's free performance of a midsummer night's dream - which happens to be the play we performed, quite memorably, my first summer at jabberwocky.

though tonight's show felt somewhat uneven overall, bright moments did abound: helena, bottom & oberon, in particular, acquitted themselves well; "pyramus & thisbe," the play within the play, received and deserved hearty laughter near the evening's close; and some (though not all) of the costumes & music & props, updated for modern audiences, juxtaposed nicely with the text. some of the familiar voices (bottom as pyramus upon hearing thisbe through a chink in the wall: "i see a voice!") weaved into the action included nico, etta james, and this cover of a tears for fears song by gary jules:

gary jules - mad world

there are three performances of midsummer left this season: tomorrow, the 16th, at 2:30pm; next saturday at 7:30 and the following sunday again at 2:30. directions are here. if you're around and unbusy it's not a half-bad way to spend three hours. (a.g. recommends one of the matinees or blankets if the evening show.)